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P��� 8 HOST A FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT The Scholars’ Academy and the Pacific In- tercultural Exchange are looking for fami- lies to host foreign exchange students for the 2010-2011 school year. Experience cultures from all over the world like China, Brazil, Australia and Russia. Students are 15-18 years old, have their own insurance and spending money. Families will just need to provide a safe en- vironment, room and board, meals and lov- ing support. Single parents, empty nesters, families with small children and families of teens can all enjoy hosting a student. If you are interested in hosting a foreign exchange student, please call the school office at 928-927-9420 for more informa- tion. Take an exotic “staycation” and host a student from a foreign country! QUARTZSITE ART GUILD NEWS QUARTZSITE- ART GUILD NEWS On June 3rd, we had 10 members attend our meet- ing. We all painted on our latest painting projects. June 17 Tina Moore instructed us on how to make leather masks. It was very inter- esting. She brought everything that was needed. She did a great job. The meeting for July 1st, we worked on finishing up on the masks and critiquing our masks. Otherwise bring any paint- ing you want to work and paint on. The Quartzsite Art Guild meets the 1st Thurs- day of each month. Please join us. Mark Goldberg will be showing his paint- ings at Horizon Community Bank from now through July 15, Drop by and see his work. Carol Brainerd 928-927-7344 ���.D�����M��������.��� SENIOR CENTER HAPPENINGS The kitchen is bigger and better at the Senior Center! We took the whole month of June off to upgrade and enlarge the kitchen. We also painted the floor of the small hall. Lunches will be available again on Monday through Friday, 12 noon sharp. Suggested donation is only $2. Fridays at 10 am, we will be providing space for sewing, crafts and whatever your hobby is. We have donated material to make quilts for the children’s library and the crisis center, also cool collars for the troops. We will be doing this all summer so get out of the heat and join us on Friday mornings at the Quartzsite Senior Center. Stop by and spent some time in the cool air, we have daily WiFi, cards and numer- ous games available so get your group to- gether and come on down. Coffee, tea and water is ready at all time. The Junky Junction Yard Sale will happen every other month. The next Junky Junc- tion will take place on Friday and Satur- day, August 6-7 7am to 1 pm. Rock Painting, leading up to Rockin’ in Quartzsite, will take place every Monday morning 9-11. PNQ supplies the paint and the rocks, you supply your talent and cre- ativity. We also need volunteers to help with dishwashing, sweeping, cleaning, and serv- ing. We will be open all summer, so stop in for some fun times! SENIOR CENTER CRAFT SHOWS The Quartzsite Senior Citizen Center has released their Craft Show schedule for the upcoming 2010/2011 season. The Craft shows are held the third Friday of each Arizona Community Health Care Edward H. Kowaleski, M.D. Board Certified Family Practitioner NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS MOST INSURANCE PLANS ACCEPTED. 375 Joshua Ave. Quartzsite, AZ 85346 Easy to find: Open Fridays & Saturdays No Name St. 928-927-4226 Palo Verde Black Hills Gold Jewelry, Mountings, Gems, Minerals, Southwest & How-to Books N x FINDINGS JEWELRY BEADS 1250 W. Main, Quartzsite 928-927-6381, Fax 928-927-4814 (across from McDonald’s) month throughout the season from No- vember through March. Plan ahead for the following dates: Nov. 19, Dec. 17, Jan. 21, Feb. 18, and March 18. Hours are Fridays 9am to 1pm. For more information visit the Quartzsite Senior Citizens Center, 40 Moon Mt. Ave. or call 928-927-6496. GED @ AWC A free online GED prep program is avail- able here in Quartzsite at Arizona Western College. Don’t let the lack of a high school diploma stand in the way of your dreams. Call us today to find out how you can begin working toward your grade equivalency di- ploma, (928) 927-8299. MORE ARIZONANS HUNGRY Phoenix, Arizona- In Arizona, 329,000 households (13.2%) struggled with hun- ger during 2006-2008, the 14th highest rate in the country, according to a report released recently by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). While that number represents an almost 12% decrease from ten years ago, it’s an 8% increase from five years ago. Most alarmingly, the number of households living in very low food security, defined as frequent cutting back or skip- ping meals based on survey results from the report, increased more than 51% in the last five years. “These troubling numbers show just how many people do not have regular access to food in Arizona,” said Ginny Hildebrand, president and CEO of the Association of Arizona Food Banks (AAFB). “When you then consider the report uses numbers from 2008, and since then we’ve seen un- employment increase and the economy stagnate, it is very likely there are more food insecure households than this report states.” It is important to note the timing of the report fails to tell the whole story, since the numbers do not take in account the recession’s continued impacts in 2009. In Arizona, the numbers are almost undoubt- edly worse, as the USDA uses three-year averages to compensate for limited sample sizes. As a result, the state data is an av- AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY & POTTERY JULY 7, 2010 erage for 2006-2008, missing much of the recession’s most recent local impact. Nationwide, the report shows more than 49.1 million people lived in food insecure households in 2008, up from 36.2 mil- lion in 2007 and 33.2 million in 2000, and the highest number ever recorded by the USDA. More than 17 million are children under the age of 18. An amazing 37% of single-parent, female-headed households with children are food insecure. 2010 is a critical year for issues related to child hun- ger, as Congress will vote on extending and improving Child Nutrition Reauthoriza- tion bills to meet President Obama’s goal of ending child hunger by 2015. The USDA report also confirms what AAFB has previously stated, namely that child hunger remains a serious issue na- tionwide and within Arizona, where one in five children under age 18 struggle with food insecurity. While AAFB member food banks have kept pace with increased de- mand by distributing approximately 60% more food in 2009 than in 2008, best es- timates show this only meets 62% of the present need. “We are seeing more and more people seeking out assistance as the economy has worsened,” said Cynthia Zwick, executive director of the Arizona Community Action Association. “The food bank network pro- vides a great safety net for families and in- dividuals in need, and many Arizona fami- lies are now utilizing SNAP (food stamps), which has seen a 41% increase in house- hold enrollments from October 2008 to October 2009.” The USDA report is based on data the Census Bureau measures annually. Food insecurity is determined through a series of household survey questions about the ability to obtain enough food for an ac- tive, healthy life for all members. The full report can be found at www.ers.usda.gov/ features/householdfoodsecurity/. Our local food bank needs donations and volunteers. Please help when every you can, an any way. Ever little bit helps. The food bank is open Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 8-noon. The Quartzsite Food Bank is located on Moon Mt. just north of the Senior Center. Open Daily 8-5 Sunday 9-4 closed Tues Hwy. 95 N. Central Joshua